MedPage TodayA new primary care initiative will free physicians to care for Medicare patients the way they want to, officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said. The 5-year initiative, known as the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus model, will "give doctors the freedom and flexibility to practice medicine the best way they know how, to return to what matters most to doctors and their patients," said Patrick Conway, M.D., CMS chief medical officer, on a phone call with reporters. "This model is shaping the future of primary care in America."READ MORE

Healthcare FinanceAlmost 30 percent of the 11,990 practicing urologists in the United States are holding off on retirement until at least age 71. That's compared to 22.7 percent a year ago according to the American Urological Association's 2015 Annual Census. In numbers, that means more than 3,400 urologists plan to fully retire after age 70, up from 2,500 who said the same in the previous survey. The findings of the survey add more weight to existing data that illustrates increasing demand, and potential impact, on the overall urology workforce inflicted by the country's aging population.READ MORE

Capitol WeeklyMajor surgery or a stay in the hospital can be stressful enough, even when you have insurance. But Californians with healthcare coverage who seek treatment at a clinic or hospital that is in their insurance plan’s network must often also deal with the anguish caused by huge unexpected costs. The culprits: Physicians who are part of the hospital treatment team but not part of your health plan’s network. Because the insurance company won’t pay their full charges, these doctors bill directly for the difference, sometimes for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.READ MORE

The New York TimesDonald J. Trump calls for "a full repeal of Obamacare" but says that "everybody’s got to be covered." Initially, he liked "the mandate," a central feature of the Affordable Care Act that requires most Americans to have insurance or pay a penalty, but he backed off that position under fire from conservatives. He would allow people who purchase insurance on the individual market to take tax deductions for their premium payments. But aides acknowledge that this tax break would not be worth much to people whose income is so low they pay little or nothing in federal income taxes. For them, Trump aides say, there would be Medicaid, which the billionaire businessman says he would not cut but would turn into a block grant to state governments.READ MORE

STATHealth officials declared a syphilis outbreak in March in Las Vegas area, where cases of the sexually transmitted disease have more than doubled since 2014. Just a few weeks later, a similar outbreak made headlines in Fresno County, California. But those outbreaks aren’t isolated. Syphilis is on the rise in many cities and states across the country. The number of cases of the bacterial disease climbed by 15 percent from 2013 to 2014. In 2014, the most recent year of data available, there were 63,450 new cases of the disease nationwide.READ MORE

The Fiscal TimesEven as overall U.S. healthcare spending grew by 5.3 percent in 2014 – reaching a jaw-dropping $3 trillion – the healthcare industry has made some important strides in trying to bend the overall cost curve in the coming years, according to some experts. Since the advent of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, for instance, the move away from so-called fee-for-service that maximizes costs for insurers and patients by encouraging excessive billings has begun to make some inroads in overall spending.READ MORE

HealthDay News via Renal & Urology NewsConsumption of processed carbohydrates and sugary drinks may affect risks of breast and prostate cancers, according to findings presented at the American Society for Nutrition's Scientific Sessions & Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2016. Compared with men who never drank sugary beverages, those who had them a few times a week showed more than triple the risk of developing prostate cancer. Prostate cancer risk was also heightened among men whose diets were generally high in glycemic load. READ MORE

Science DailyPatients with severe cases of kidney stones are 26 percent less likely to receive timely treatment when they're admitted to the hospital on the weekend, according to a study by researchers at Loyola Medicine and Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. The study, published in the Journal of Urology, is the first to show that a risk factor called the "weekend effect" affects kidney stone treatment and outcomes.READ MORE

Renal & Urology NewsOlder men whose clinician was a physician trainee had substantially lower prostate-specific antigen screening rates than those with an attending physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant as their clinician, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has shown. Despite guideline recommendations advising against PSA screening in older men with a limited life expectancy, PSA screening remains common in this patient population.READ MORE

California HealthlineA bill that would require medical practitioners to notify their patients if they are on probation for serious infractions moved forward Monday after winning approval from a California senate committee. The Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development voted unanimously to green light the legislation, written by Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo. It would require physicians, chiropractors, podiatrists and acupuncturists to inform their patients of their probation before an appointment.READ MORE

The Sacramento BeeFor 10 days in February, the staff at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center had to treat patients the old fashioned way with pen-and-paper forms, faxes and hand-delivered X-rays. Gone were many of the data-reliant, high-tech tools that have transformed medical care, according to local media reports. The Los Angeles hospital had fallen victim to a ransomware attack – increasingly common network break-ins that encrypt all information in their path. When hospital computer systems freeze, the hackers offer to reverse the encryption in exchange for cash.READ MORE

NPRSutter Health, a large network of doctors and hospitals in Northern California that has long been accused of abusing its market power, is now squaring off against major U.S. corporations in a closely watched legal fight. The battle is over Sutter's demand that companies sign an arbitration agreement to resolve any legal disputes with the health system. If firms don't sign the agreement, Sutter says, the companies will have to pay sharply higher rates for medical treatment of their employees at Sutter's hospitals, surgery centers and clinics – 95 percent of Sutter's full charge.READ MORE

Kaiser Health NewsMoving into a realm usually reserved for healthcare regulators, the California health marketplace unveiled sweeping reforms to its contracts with insurers, seeking to improve the quality of care, curb its cost and increase transparency for consumers. The attempt to impose quality and cost standards on health plans and doctors and hospitals appears to be the first by any Obamacare exchange in the nation.READ MORE